In Xu Fu's courtyard, a beauty stood before a garden.
She gazed blankly at the flowers in full bloom, her cherry lips slightly parted and her willow-leaf brows faintly furrowed.
"Lady Yu, what are you thinking about?" Xu Fu approached Yu Meiren from behind. Standing beside her, he looked somewhat slender and slight. "Ever since you drifted from beyond the pass into the Central Plains and gained a sense of self, you've seemed downcast. Is there a reason?"
It had already been a year since Yu Meiren arrived in the Central Plains.
After learning Yu Meiren's true identity, Xu Fu had harbored no ulterior thoughts. He simply felt that such an ancient being deserved respect, which was why he addressed her as Lady Yu.
"Ah, Xu Fu." After a year of familiarity, Yu Meiren had grown accustomed to the Central Plains and become much more dignified. She smiled at Xu Fu. "I was merely thinking about a few things. It's nothing."
"Are you thinking about the time before you gained a sense of self? I remember you saying that even without a sense of self, those memories still remained in your mind." Xu Fu walked to Yu Meiren's side, bent down, and gently touched the flower before him.
"Yes." Yu Meiren sighed softly. "Xu Fu, you should still remember, right? What I told you before about how I gained a sense of self."
"You mean the two machines you encountered beyond the pass?" Xu Fu froze.
Yu Meiren had also told him about the series of events beyond the pass that had greatly affected the Central Plains. Among them, two machines had been crucial.
"Yes. One of those two machines gave me a sense of self, and also made me understand what pain was." Still shaken by the memory, Yu